Spicy Guacamole
One of my favorite things to do is to take a classic dish and add an unexpected twist. This Spicy Guacamole is an especially fun one. It looks like the regular dip we all love, but one bite and you know this is no ordinary read more
One of my favorite things to do is to take a classic dish and add an unexpected twist. This Spicy Guacamole is an especially fun one. It looks like the regular dip we all love, but one bite and you know this is no ordinary read more
One of our most popular menu items is our Green Curry Shrimp. And it’s easy to see why. It’s rich, creamy, spicy, and full of colorful veggies. I am a firm believer though that vegetarians deserve to get in on the fun too, and that’s read more
Thai food is famed for expertly balancing all of the major flavors-spicy, sweet, sour, and salty, in a dish. And this Spicy Thai Fish is no exception. A whole snapper is used here: bathed in a fragrant, spicy broth with onions and earthy mushrooms and a shower of scallions. If you’ve never made a fish stock from scratch before, you will be delighted by its rich taste. This is a celebratory dish, and looks beautiful when brought to the table.
This recipe has humble origins. As I’m sure you can guess, we fillet a lot of fish at the restaurants. Naturally, that leaves us with a lot of fish heads. Although it’s often considered a waste product, most Asians treat it as a delicacy to be relished. So each time there is a delivery of fish, one of our line cooks will pick out the best one and cook it for me and my husband. He’s been with us for over 15 years, so we’ve eaten a lot of this Spicy Thai Fish, although we affectionately call it Toun’s Fish. I’ve tried to maintain the flavors of the dish, but give you a more PG fish recipe! But truth be told, the tastiest nuggets are always closest to the head. So go ahead and serve it up along with the fillets. Or just save it as a cook’s treat. Either way this fragrant and spicy dish is a delicious way to savor the amazing flavors of fresh fish.
I use red snapper for my Spicy Thai Fish, because it’s plentiful here in South Florida. But yellowtail or any other mild white fish that looks fresh will work well too. And when I say this recipe uses the whole fish, I mean it! If you opt to have the fish cleaned and filleted for you, be sure to ask for the head and bones-those add intense flavor to the stock.
Filleting a whole fish can be very intimidating. I admit, I usually don’t fillet fish either, I have them dressed at the restaurant. So if you want to leave the work to your fish monger, excellent decision! But if you’re one of those who needs a cooking challenge every once in a while to get your mojo on in the kitchen, more power to you. Let’s do this! And if you’ve never worked with a whole fish before, I give very detailed instructions on how to debone and fillet it. Here are some pictures of the process:
This is what it will look like when you’re done:
I start making the stock by prepping the aromatics. These ingredients, along with the fish bones and head, will give you a rich and luxurious sauce. Without the bones, the fish will taste a little boring, like it’s missing something, no matter how many other things are in the sauce.
Next, I put the lid on and the stock gets simmered for about 35-40 minutes. If this is a dish you are serving for a dinner party or a special occasion, and you have a million other things to think about, you could certainly make the stock the day before. Then strain and refrigerate it, and you’ll have it ready for the following day.
Once the stock is done, Thai Spicy Fish comes together quickly. Heat a deep skillet for several minutes, and then add oil.
The fish should be cooked through in about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat, and heap the fresh herbs on top. I like to serve it right in the pot. It’s delicious served over rice to soak up every drop of the lusty broth. Thai Spicy Fish makes a memorable meal; I can’t wait for you to try it! Let us know what you think by rating and commenting on the recipe, and don’t forget to tag us in your creations @ funkyasiankitchen.
Many thanks to Jorge Figueroa at Trigger Seafood, our awesome seafood purveyor, for providing the gram worthy snapper. We appreciate you!
To prepare your whole fish:
Everyone needs a couple of quick and tasty tofu recipes in their repertoire, and Sriracha Tofu is a great one to have. I always have a block of tofu in the fridge and the sauce ingredients in my pantry. Tofu is economical, packed with protein, read more
I have a bit of a condiment problem. You might even call me a condiment hoarder. They are such an easy way to add a jolt of flavor to just about anything. I’m particularly addicted to Chili Crisp- that gloriously garlicky, spicy, crispy umami bomb read more
I think KFC Night might mean something different in my house. Nothing against the Colonel mind you, but make my fried chicken Korean please! Shatteringly crispy and glazed with a sticky sweet and spicy sauce, Korean Fried Chicken is having a real moment lately. Even Shake Shack has been getting in on the fun. We first started serving it a couple years ago in the restaurants as a special, and it always sells out. There’s just something about it that’s so addictive.
I have made this recipe several times at home to insure it comes out perfectly every time, even if you’ve never made fried chicken before. Once you do make my Korean Fried Chicken, you’ll never want any other kind of KFC.
There are so many reasons and one of them is the sauce! Made from Korean pantry staples like gochujang, it really takes the chicken over the top! It’s spicy, sweet, garlicky, and a little smoky. What’s not to love? And then the marinade adds another layer of flavor. Don’t worry, this one doesn’t need an overnight soak- but if you want to get it out of the way the day before, I think that’s not a bad idea. The marinade guarantees a tasty chicken under the tasty crust. Speaking of crust…the secret to its almost glass-like crispiness? Frying twice, and using potato starch instead of flour. Potato starch fries up much crispier than wheat flour, and it holds that crisp for far longer. Using potato starch makes this fried chicken gluten free, although the sauce is not :(.
Once the oil is at the proper temperature, it’s time for the first fry. If you don’t have an oil/candy thermometer, you can check to see if you have the right temperature by dipping one chicken wing into the oil. If the oil immediately bubbles around the wing, it’s ready to use. Add half the wings to the oil, and leave them undisturbed for the first few minutes. This allows the coating to set so you can keep all of that crunchy goodness from flaking off. Fry for a total of 10 minutes.
Once you’re done frying the first batch, then fry the second half of the wings, also for 10 minutes. Most people, including me, do not have a large wok or something wide and deep enough, to accommodate 2 1/2 pounds of wings in one go. So you’ll need to fry in batches. But for the second fry, you can put the wings all together into the oil and again cook for 10-12 minutes.
These wings are different from a typical fried chicken, which usually fries at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time. The slow and steady heat, combined with the double fry, really allows the crust to get unbelievably crunchy without burning. Make sure to strain out any bits floating in the oil after each fry, or they will burn and add a bitter flavor. It’s also important to allow the oil to recover heat between fries so you start the chicken off at the right temperature each time.
However, don’t make the assumption that double fry equals dry chicken. The lower temperature keeps the chicken tender and juicy while giving the crust enough time to get extra crunchy. You’ve gotta try it to believe it.
Finally, it’s time to add the magical Korean Fried Chicken Sauce! We bring out the aroma in the garlic with a little oil and then heat up the sauce to coat the wings. The sauce is boldly flavored, so you’re looking for a light coating on each wing. Do not let the sauce cook down too much in the pan or you will not have enough for the entire batch of wings.
If you just can’t get enough of Korean flavors, try serving this with spicy bean sprouts and radish kimchi. Koreans always serve fried chicken with cubed sweet and sour radish pickles; maybe a future post! For now, if you’re eager to try it, I would recommend using the brine in the banh mi recipe and cutting the daikon or Korean radish into mini cubes instead of shredding it.
For an excellent pairing, a little ice cold beer to offset the spice would hit the spot. This Korean Fried chicken is so delicious; I know you’re going to love it too. Make sure to rate or drop a comment below, and let’s see your gorgeous platters of crispy red chicken-tag us in your insta pics @funkyasiankitchen.
* If you would like to get a head start on the wings, go ahead and marinate the chicken the day before you’re going to be frying the wings. The flavor will penetrate the wings better and you will have one step out of the way.
*Are you one of those people who loves cold fried chicken? Me too! And this chicken retains its crispy texture even cold. Unfortunately it does not reheat well (the crust gets a little soggy and the sugar in the coasting tends to burn if you get a little too aggressive re-heating it), so just eat any leftovers cold!
Keywords: korean fried chicken, korean food, spicy, gochujang
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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